A Royal Caribbean cruise ship bound for New Jersey was delayed in the Bahamas on Friday after two passengers, including a 7-year-old child, were evacuated in critical condition.
The Oasis of the Seas was held in Nassau so the pair could be rushed to hospitals on the island shortly after 1 p.m., according to a captain’s announcement reported by Cruise Hive. The vessel, one of Royal Caribbean’s massive Oasis Class ships, is now expected to reach its Cape Liberty home port in Bayonne around 2 p.m. Sunday — roughly eight hours behind schedule.
The nature of the illnesses and the passengers’ current conditions have not been disclosed by the cruise line. Royal Caribbean also did not inform those on board that the sicknesses were contagious or that they faced any risk of infection, according to a letter to passengers that was shared on Facebook.
“As previously announced by our Captain, our medical staff determined that two of our guests needed urgent medical attention,” the ship’s letter stated. “We successfully debarked our guests so they could receive additional medical care. As a result, we’ll now be delayed in our return to Cape Liberty.”
The 10-deck, 1,187-foot vessel is now traveling at 20 knots toward Bayonne, the captain announced. Royal Caribbean told passengers that any flights disrupted by the delay would be “automatically adjusted” by the cruise line’s flights team. The company also committed to covering air change fees up to $200 for domestic travel and $400 for international travel, according to the same letter.
The medical emergency adds to a string of recent incidents that have put cruise ship health protocols under scrutiny. Earlier this year, a hantavirus outbreak aboard a Holland America vessel, the Zaandam, drew international attention after multiple passengers died and the ship struggled to find ports willing to accept it. That crisis, which unfolded in March and April, left passengers quarantined in cabins for days and forced the company to coordinate complex repatriation efforts for thousands of travelers.
Royal Caribbean did not respond to a request for comment on Friday’s evacuation.